If in future Greenland has just one Atlantic airport, situated in Nuuk, it would be a catastrophe for the development of tourism - which will be developing principally in Disko Bay. In contrast, an Atlantic airport in Disko Bay would be a powerful turbo for such development. We therefore await with keen interest a decision at the '96 spring assembly of Greenland's parliament or "Landsting", at which the future traffic structure will be debated.
However, new runways cannot do it alone. Many improvements can be made to the existing traffic structure for very different and modest amounts. KNI constantly has trouble getting the sailing schedule ready in time, and tour operators are having to accept major changes to what was regarded as an agreement for the '96 season. The airlines First Air and Greenlandair are forever discussing whether they should fly to and from Canada on Fridays or Saturdays. And unfortunately these are just a few examples.
It is important that, in our enthusiasm to get hold of the best possible "hardware", we do not forget the human factor - the service or the "software". The majority of our visitors are not bothered about the hardware - they simply take it for granted - whilst they look forward to good service and information. It is an area which we cannot work too hard at or do too much for!
Kim Folmann Jørgensen
Director, Greenland Tourism a/s
Jahn Schapiro, director of Profil Rejser, presented the first Greenland catalogue in the company's 14-year history at a press conference at FERIE '96 [HOLIDAY '96] at Bella Center, with representatives of SAS, Greenlandair, Icelandair and Greenland Tourism A/S also sitting on the panel.
The catalogue is the first visible result of the co-operation between Profil Rejser a/s, Greenland Travel a/s and Greenland Tourism a/s which was started in the summer of 1995.
The catalogue will be distributed to all Danish travel agencies and, in translation, to all Norwegian and Swedish travel agencies via Profil Rejser's partners in co-operation with Prisma Tours in Norway and Trivselresor in Sweden. The catalogue will therefore be sent to approx. 2,000 travel agencies in Scandinavia in 1996.
Greenland Tourism a/s has great expectations of the co-operation. "The new aspect is that, via our co-operation with Profil Rejser, we will be addressing a target group of independent travellers. Moreover, Profil Rejser has the strongest distribution network in Scandinavia and, with Greenland Travel on the production side, with its know-how and over 25 years experience, I think that the trio provides all the conditions for success", says Kim Folmann Jørgensen, director of Greenland Tourism a/s, adding: "It is quite simply the solution if we are to have a marked increase in visitors to Greenland."
The target for sales of tours in 1996 is 2,500 from Denmark and 500 each from Norway and Sweden.
"We are convinced that, with this exceptionally cheap taster of Greenland, we have already sold a large number of trips to Greenland in 1997", says Jahn Schapiro. "Once you have experienced a little bit of Greenland, you find you have caught the Greenland bug."
Polar Rejser's impressive stand, with its lifelike Greenlandic setting, left nobody in any doubt as to which part of the world they were in amongst countless other countries. A typical dog-sled with models wearing sealskin costume, a genuine kayak, tupilakks, sealskin top boots, hunting tools, narwhal tusks, jewellery and a large menacing polar bear formed the framework for the stand.
"We have an incurable faith in the future and this year we are making major investments", says Hans Grønkjær, director of Polar Rejser. "In 1993 we sold around 250 tours to Greenland, in 1994 approx. 490 tours, and this year we are investing for 1,000 travellers. We are seeing a marked increase in interest in Greenland. Several of our tours are already sold out, including 5 of our 15 winter departures and 5 summer tours."
The 28-page brochure deals exclusively with tours to Greenland. According to Hans Grønkjær, approx. 75% of the content is new, including pleasure fishing trips, long weekend breaks in Kangerlussuaq and a geological cruise in northern Greenland.
"By a purely logical process we have constructed a programme which is based on the wishes and requirements expressed by the many old and the potential new customers with which we have gradually come into contact over the years", explains Grønkjær. "We consider it of great importance that the tours live up to the customers' expectations. We lay emphasis on the information given to the customer both before and during the trip - it is incredibly important that our guests have a good and safe experience."
Visitors to Greenland on Polar Rejser's tours are almost exclusively Danish. On some group tours the tour guides travel with the party from Copenhagen, on others they join it in Kangerlussuaq. Polar Rejser has over 10 years experience of travel, exclusively to Greenland, and currently has a staff of five in its 2 offices in Ålborg and Sisimiut.
The regional tourism companies aim to expand the experiences on offer in their individual regions, make the destinations more tour-operator-friendly, provide quality assurance and, last but not least, ensure that the organisation and control of the development of tourism is in Greenlandic hands.
The companies are dominated by private investors, reflecting the dynamism and optimism found in these two places. Tourism has been elevated from being directed by an association to company level. The aim is to have five to seven regional tourism companies in Greenland. South Greenland Tourism a/s and Sisimiut Tourism a/s already exist, having been founded in 1994.
The general manager of Nuuk Tourism a/s is Lise Egede Hegelund, tel. +299 22 700, fax: +299 22 710, whilst Johanne Eriksen is general manager of Kangerlussuaq Tourism a/s, tel. +299 21 098, fax: +299 21 498.
- that all medicine is free in Greenland
- that Greenland was converted to Christianity without the use of weapons
- that land speculation is impossible in Greenland. All land is owned by Greenland's Home Rule government
- that traditionally nearly all raw materials used to be boiled to ensure that no protein was wasted
- that Greenland's telecommunications system is of a very high technological standard, so high that a great deal of the expertise is sold to other countries
Koni Hallenbarter from Switzerland, several times Swiss champion and former winner of the Vasa race in Sweden, will also be there. Several of the best Greenlandic skiers have also registered.
There has been a great deal of interest in the race. Greenland Tourism a/s has had many enquiries from interested skiers, and sports journalists and TV stations from many countries have shown enormous interest in covering the event.
Around 80 to 90 skiers are expected to take part this year, the majority coming from Greenland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada and Germany. The race will take place over three days using dog sleds as back-up. The total distance to the finishing line in Sisimiut is 160 km.
The Arctic Circle Race will be organised by close co-operation between the Greenland Skiing Association and Greenland Tourism a/s. Both are making every effort to ensure that the first Arctic Circle Race in 1996 will be a good, fun and exciting experience for all participants. The stage will then be set for the race to develop into an annual event with steadily increasing numbers of participants. The aim is that, because of its location, the cultural aspect of the dog-sleds and its partly expedition-like nature, the race will become one which all cross-country skiing enthusiasts have to attempt - at least once in their lives.
After four years in Iceland, the secretariat for the North Atlantic tourism co-operation between Greenland, Iceland and the Faeroes Islands has moved to the Faeroes. Elsa Johanna Høgenni sits on the Faeroe Islands Tourist Board, but will work exclusively on the co-operation between the three countries.
"The work is not entirely new to me. I worked for VTB for most of 1995 and, amongst other things, I was project leader in the organisation of the Vestnorden Travel Mart in the Faeroes", says Elsa Johanna Høgenni.
The tripartite co-operation is based on projects which have a special emphasis on marketing. These include the Vestnorden Travel Mart, the development of cruise tourism - which involves attendance at the conference in Miami - and the planning and implementation of roadshows in a great number of German cities.
"My function is very much a co-ordinating and implementing one. In addition to the three projects mentioned previously, I am also in the process of drawing up an action plan for further initiatives. Our aim is to intensify cross-regional co-operation and to implement various joint activities", says Elsa Johanna Høgenni.
Elsa Johanna Høgenni can be contacted at the Faeroe Islands Tourist Board on tel. +298 16 055 / fax +298 10 858.
The Greenland National Museum and Archive is the largest and most visited museum in Greenland. The number of people visiting the museum has been increasing since 1990, when 11,800 people visited the museum; in 1995 the number of visitors was 14,800. 1994 was the top scorer of the period with a total of 17,500 visitors, due to a particularly high number of cruise liners calling at Nuuk.
The museum is situated in Nuuk, and is a modern museum equipped with security measures which have made it possible to transfer more and more Greenlandic collections from Copenhagen via a special co-operation agreement with the National Museum of Denmark.
The museum's biggest attraction is undoubtedly the four world-famous mummies from Qilakitsoq near Uummannaq in northern Greenland. The three women and small baby died around 1475, and were only found by chance in 1972. The mummies represent the oldest known findings of well-preserved humans and dress within the whole of the cultural region of the Arctic circle, and the pictures of their incredibly expressive faces have been broadcast around the world numerous times.
The museum has both permanent and changing exhibitions and is a step ahead of many other museums in Greenland, having sent out a complete overview of all current and coming exhibitions for 1996 back at the turn of the year.
For further information contact the National Museum of Greenland on tel. +299 226 11, fax: +229 226 22.
Several hotels, headed by the Hotel Arctic, have been involved in paving the way for MIC (Meeting, Incentive, Conference) events to be held in Greenland. A hotel extension in Ilulissat, the Kangerlussuaq Hotel and Conference Centre and the forthcoming opening of the Greenland House of Culture in Nuuk are opening up various opportunities for new and exciting MIC initiatives.
The airlines SAS and Greenlandair, the Hotel Arctic, Kangerlussuaq Hotel and Conference Centre, Hotel Hans Egede in Nuuk and Greenland Tourism a/s have joined forces to develop targeted MIC tourism. The first meeting of the steering committee was held in November '95, and the first move was the setting up of an ambassadorial corps consisting of approx. 20 people. The ambassadors appointed have in common the fact that they are people who travel a lot, have a broad network of contacts and are passionate about Greenland.
The ambassadors' primary task is to provide information and create interest in the possibility of holding meetings and conferences in Greenland. The co-ordinator and link between the conference hotels, ambassadors and potential MIC clients is Birthe Skov of Greenland Tourism a/s. She has already had positive feedback from several of the ambassadors. The next phase is for these to hold their first information meeting. Activities planned for later dates include advertising, preparation of conference folders, participation in workshops, etc. Further information on the new MIC initiative is available by contacting Birthe Skov at Greenland Tourism a/s in Copenhagen.
Greenlanders are known for their hospitality and obliging nature - and apparently not without good reason where tourists are concerned. According to the survey, the population has a positive attitude to tourists and supports the development of tourism in the country.
97% do not feel inconvenienced at all by the presence of the tourists and 80% do not believe that tourism is having a negative influence on the Greenlandic culture; on the contrary, 50% believe that tourism is helping to maintain Greenlandic traditions. 80% find the idea of working in the tourism sector attractive.
80% agree that tourism is not causing erosion of Greenland's natural resources or pollution. On the contrary, tourism is helping to keep towns and buildings cleaner, think 60%.
The fishing grounds are not disturbed by the tourists, believe 60%, and another 60% think that tourism has created major earnings in the local community and generally benefits other professions in Greenland - but not in the restaurant sector, where 45% think not enough is being done to present Greenlandic produce.
The analysis was carried out in autumn '95 by Carolina Nielsen during her period of work experience at Greenland Tourism in Nuuk. Carolina Nielsen is one of the first three graduates of the Greenland Business School's 2nd year course in Tourism.
The survey is based on telephone interviews with a total of 190 respondents across Greenland, with a response rate of approx. 50%.
"The Japanese market is very exciting and we are experiencing great interest in Greenland. Coming in from the cold is difficult and time-consuming, but if Japanese agents find that they get value for money they are loyal and are happy to pay the price", says Steen Rohdemeier, co-owner of the tour operator Arctic Adventure ApS.
The traditional Japanese travel itinerary is undergoing fundamental change, and the target group which Arctic Adventure is addressing is looking for longer and more extensive trips. On average, Japanese guests spend six or seven nights in Greenland - generally in southern Greenland combined with Iceland, or sometimes in southern Greenland combined with Disko Bay.
"In terms of pounds and pence Japan is our biggest market. It is a growth market and we have gradually got a good grasp on a small group of key agents. Last year we held a study trip for 10 Japanese agents in Greenland, and this year we will again be taking part in the Danish Tourism Council's campaign in Japan with workshops, advertising, etc.", explains Rohdemeier.
The Japanese demand a high level of service, and the programme must include a reasonably wide spread of available activities. "We have Japanese-speaking guides on all group tours. In addition, our Japanese guides can be contacted by telephone by the increasing number of Japanese travelling independently", says Rohdemeier.
"I think that in the longer term it is possible to get even more Japanese visitors to come to Greenland. It is visitors who put a lot of foreign currency into the country, and therefore tourists in which we should invest. In order to do this it is essential that we can offer other activities as well as the real thing in the form of Greenland's nature and culture. Luxury hotels are not a necessity, but since the level of prices in Greenland is relatively high, it is essential that the service provided is also at a premium level. And since Greenland's weather often prevents outdoor activities, hotels should offer more than just food and lodging: for example, fitness rooms, saunas, jacuzzis, table tennis and snooker, video programmes about Greenland and good bar and souvenir facilities", says Rohdemeier, ending with a couple of ideas which cost nothing but show that the hotel is interested in its guests: "For example, you could arrange a visit to the kitchens to show the guests how Greenlandic ingredients are prepared, or invite local cottage industries to demonstrate their crafts and then sell their products".
The trip, which lasts six days, starts and ends at a hotel in Ilulissat, but otherwise the holiday is spent on dog-sleds travelling through totally uninhabited areas. One of the overnight stops is spent in igloos, which the guests themselves have the pleasure of building.
"Dog-sled trips are included in all the winter programmes, and there are trips for all ages. Whenever we have spoken to tourists who have been on winter trips to Greenland it is the dog-sled trips, together with the light, the strong sun and the impressive snowscapes, which are emphasised time and again", says Mette Vestergård, marketing manager at Greenland Tourism a/s. "Visitors get very close to that peculiar Greenlandic harmony between man and animal - a dependence which has always been of crucial importance. It is a very authentic and uncut experience which makes winter holidays in Greenland a unique experience", concludes Mette Vestergård.
Several representatives of the industry have announced their attendance at the combined trade fair and conference on cruise tourism for the first time this year. Thus those attending from Greenland include representatives of the Greenlandic airline Greenlandair, Royal Arctic Line, Arctic Adventure and Greenland Tourism a/s, and Iceland is also represented by an increased number of tour operators.
The three North Atlantic countries have been working closely together in recent years on joint product development and marketing of cruise tourism. Their co-operation now seems to be bearing real fruit. In 1995 Greenland alone experienced an increase of over 30% in the number of cruise ships calling at the country. A total of 44 ships called at Greenland's ports last year, with a total of around 4,500 passengers setting foot on Greenlandic soil. Similar positive feedback has been heard from Iceland and the Faeroe Islands.
This year Greenland Tourism a/s will again be preparing a cruise manual, which will contain more information and more technical details of the ports and calls than previously.
The brochure is issued in English and will be out in May. It is designed to be used as a tool by visitors after their arrival in Greenland and provides an overview of all the summer's activities divided up by towns and regions - be it cultural events, organised excursions, independent activities, town anniversaries, town plans, etc.
The event calendar will also be avaible at this Internet site.
Another new publication is "Travelling in Greenland - on an individual basis". This manual is designed to help the independent traveller in planning his or her trip in Greenland. The book focuses on practical information about transport, accommodation, activities, safety, walking maps, etc. The book will be published in November in German and English.
The last three regional manuals for southern, eastern and northern Greenland will be published in co-operation with Forlaget Compagniet at the beginning of June. The first in the series, on central Greenland, appeared in 1994. The books are in Danish only and can be purchased from bookshops. The other publications may be ordered from Greenland Tourism a/s in Copenhagen.
After the summer season the M/S Disko sailed to Denmark and, right up until the beginning of January 1996, it was still not known whether the coasting vessel would be back in the schedule for '96. Now a definite decision has been made: the M/S Disko is too expensive to run and has therefore been put up for sale.
"At the Vestnorden Travel Mart in September 1995 we sounded out operators on the possibility of the M/S Disko being used as a cruise ship in the summer season. Several tour operators were interested, but not until the '97 season", says Kim Folmann Jørgensen, director of Greenland Tourism a/s.
Many tour operators have included coastal runs with the M/S Disko in their programmes for 1996, and reactions to the decision have been strong. "I, too, think it is very regrettable that the ship has been taken out before a satisfactory solution was found", says Kim Folmann Jørgensen. "However, it is not a matter of cancellations, since the coastal run will instead be navigated by the three new regional coasting vessels, the M/S Saqqit Ittuk, M/S Sarpik Ittuk and M/S Sarfaq Ittuk".
Together with the Greenland Employers' Association, KNI and others, Greenland Tourism a/s has appointed a working party which is working with private investors on the possibility of using the M/S Disko in a cruise-like programme with a view to the '97 season. "Sailing along Greenland's coast on the M/S Disko is a special experience and, after the interest we found at VTM in 1995, we believe that the cruise idea is a realistic option", concludes Kim Folmann Jørgensen.
BIT, Milan: 28 February - 3 March
ITB, Berlin: 9 - 13 March
Seatrade Cruise, Miami: 12 - 16 March
Vestnorden Travel Mart, Iceland: 3 - 5 September
WTM, London: 11 - 14 November
In addition, Greenland will be represented as a tourist destination by travel agencies, tour operators and agents at a great number of the other tourism and travel fairs in Europe, North America and Japan.
Hard copy circulation:
1000 Danish
300 Greenlandic
1000 English
1000 German
The next issue will be out at the beginning of May. Check this Internet site!
Product development, marketing, information, consultancy, documentation, distribution:
Greenland Tourism a/s
P.O. Box 1552
Hans Egedesvej 29
DK-3900 Nuuk
Tel.: +299 22 888
Fax:+299 22 877
E-mail: tourism@greennet.gl
Greenland Tourism a/s
P.O. Box 1139
Pilestræde 52
DK-1010 Copenhagen K
Tel.: +45 33 13 69 75
Fax: +45 33 93 38 83
E-mail: greenfo@inet.uni-c.dk
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